Torrington volleyball team honored at banquet

TORRINGTON >> End-of-season team banquets are supposed to be bitter-sweet. It's the final lap for the seniors, good-bye for many.

It's also the great memories when a team has come as far as Torrington High School's girls volleyball has in the two years since Christine Gamari arrived as head coach.

"I'll say the same thing as I said at the end of my speech last year," smiled Gamari, who guided her team to a turn-around, from 4-14 the year before she arrived, to 14-4 this season. "If NVL teams are surprised this year, just wait until next year. We can always jump higher; we can always move faster; we can always get better."

Seniors who worked through the before and after of success, loving every minute of the hard work Gamari brought, had more reason than most for the sentiment banquets always bring.

"There's nothing I'd have rather done than play volleyball these last four years," said Chevona Markel, an All-NVL setter.

"This is what makes high school memorable. I don't want to leave," said manager Sheila Delaroca.

"Everybody contributed," said Gamari, proving it with a list of accomplishments for her team.

Markel was All-NVL. Nicole Kozlak and Kiley Rosengrant were named to the All-Copper Division team.